House in Hatsugano by Horibe Naoko Architect Office

Located in Osaka, Japan, this house is a minimalist creation by the coveted Horibe Naoko Architect Office. The home is bordered by a single road to the west, and boxed in by adjacent buildings to the north, south, and east sides. The main concern for the architects was to provide maximum privacy without sacrificing natural lighting.

The design is centered around a courtyard that is hidden from street-view. The aesthetic from the outside in comparison to the inside is a striking contrast to say the least.

The eerily faceless facade of the building only serves as more of a contradiction to the well-lit and dynamic interior. I love how the courtyard is the focal point of the entire house, and how much the architects emphasized utilizing the central space purely as a visual and light source.

Leo Lei is a marketing professional + design enthusiast responsible for importing some of the hardest to reach brands into the US through his website, leibal.com. His passions within design are light materials and minimalist aesthetics. Leo writes the Design Milk column Skim Milk.